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Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has been invited to join a new national advisory group to support efforts to improve the justice system for victims of crime.
As a member of the Victims’ Commissioner Advisory Group 2024-25, the County Durham and Darlington PCC will support Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove on the implementation of the Victims’ and Prisoners Act 2024 and compliance of the Victims’ Code.
The PCC was personally invited by Baroness Newlove to join the advisory group which will also support the Government’s aim to halve violence against women and girl (VAWG) offences and promote the needs of victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) as well as to press for more support for bereaved victims.
Commissioner Allen has rigorously campaigned for improved support for victims of crime in the criminal justice system.
Many of the priorities in her original Police and Crime Plan drew on the lessons outlined by Baroness Newlove in her report into ASB in 2019. This includes her decision to appoint three Victims’ Champions to act as an independent voice for victims – one each for ASB, Crime and Domestic Abuse.
Through their engagement, the Victims’ Champions have gathered vital evidence to help shape future policy, planning and commissioning of services for victims in County Durham and Darlington. This includes commissioning research into over-listing and how it contributes to re-traumatisation of victims of rape and serious sexual offences and into the experiences of people with cognitive disability through the criminal justice system.
Announcing the appointment, Commissioner Allen said: “I am honoured to join the Victims’ Commissioner’s Advisory Group. Victims of crime remain at the heart of my work, and I am pleased to share my experience, knowledge and understanding in support of the Victims’ Commissioner’s work to deliver improvements that are desperately needed.
“To be truly effective, our justice system must be seen through the eyes of victims of crime themselves. Baroness Newlove has dedicated her life to listening and learning from the lived experiences of victims of crime and I am proud to support this work and her efforts to provide all victims of crime receive the quality of care they deserve.”
Baroness Newlove’s role was recently extended to 31 December 2025 by the Lord Chancellor.
To deliver her strategic objectives, she will be publishing thematic reports on key issues alongside analysing available data to support the case for change.
The PCC will attend quarterly meetings over the Victims’ Commissioner’s extended term.
Ends
The state-of-the-art Investigative Hub, located near Spennymoor, will accept its first detainees on December 12.
The PCC for Durham and Darlington, Joy Allen, has said that she will write to the Government to raise concerns about police funding.
A cohort of 20 police officers have been trained this week to become Stalking Champions as part of a groundbreaking pilot funded by the PCC.
